Rep. Steve Chabot speaks to a full house of supporters and protestors at the Westwood Town Hall. / The Enquirer/Amanda Davidson

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WESTWOOD - U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot's town hall meeting Monday night here in his home neighborhood was nothing like the one he held last Monday night in North Avondale, where he would take only written questions and the Chabot staff had a Cincinnati police officer seize cameras.

There were boos and cheers, but the discussion was civil and went off without incident.

About 250 people crammed into the auditorium at Westwood Town Hall Monday night for an hour-long session - a diverse mix of Democrats, liberal activists, tea party supporters and Westwood residents. Both during Chabot's monologue and the question-and-answer period, Chabot's statements were met with a mix of cheers and boos.

"That's all right," the Westwood Republican said. "I understand there are a lot of points of view on these issues. We can disagree in this country."

Last week's meeting in North Avondale caused a furor because a Chabot staff member asked a Cincinnati police officer - who had been asked to attend by the Chabot staff - to take the cameras of David Little of Common Cause and Liz Ping, a Democrat filming the meeting for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

There were a handful of audience members at Monday night's meeting in Westwood taping the meeting with hand-held cameras.

A Cincinnati police officer and a Hamilton County sheriff's deputy were present at the Westwood Town Hall, but mostly they just escorted people into the auditorium.

Chabot spent about half the time talking about his views on recent issues in Washington. He said he was not satisfied with the debt ceiling agreement, saying he thought $1.2 trillion in spending cuts was not enough when the nation is $14.5 trillion in debt."

"That is an unsustainable debt hanging over our heads," Chabot said. "For every $1 we spend, we borrow 43 cents, and much of that is from China, which does not have our interests at heart. It's not fair for us to do this to our children and grandchildren."

One woman asked how members of Congress could ever agree on anything if they were always signing pledges, such as the pledge never to raise taxes.

Chabot said he has pledged never to vote for tax increases "because I am strongly opposed to raising taxes. I don't believe we are under-taxed; I think we are overspent."

That drew a loud chorus of boos and cheers.

One Westwood resident asked Chabot what could be done to "stem the tide of Section 8 housing, especially in Westwood," referring to the federal program giving housing vouchers to the poor.

"I have lived in this neighborhood for over 30 years, and I do think that Section 8 has been responsible for the deterioration of housing and lower property values," Chabot said, which drew cheers from the Westwood residents and boos from many others.

Not everyone who wanted to ask a question was able to do so before the town hall forum was cut off at 8 p.m.

Gerry Becker, a teacher from Northside, said he wanted to ask Chabot if he would support an increase in the minimum wage.

"We need to give money to people on Main Street by putting money in their pockets," Becker said. "They say these people are lazy. But they are working their butts off, working two or three jobs. I want my congressman to help them."